Jason Koski/University Photography

The Cayuga Nature Center gets a fall cleaning by, from left, Josh Rosario '10, Neesha Schnepf '13 and Vanish Grover '10 Oct. 31.

About 1,200 Cornell students streamed "Into the Streets" for the 18th annual day of service Oct. 31, proclaimed by Mayor Carolyn Peterson as Into the Streets Day in the City of Ithaca.

Coinciding with the national Make a Difference Day, the event marks Cornell's largest day of service.

"Into the Streets is a student-directed program that focuses on promoting social responsibility and commitment to public service among college students," said Leonardo J. Vargas-Mendez, executive director of the Public Service Center, which sponsors the program. "This one-day service experience allows students to learn about the surrounding community and gain experience in public service and volunteering."

Students organized into 130 teams led by student team leaders, who first met up in Barton Hall for a kickoff ceremony. The teams then went to about 60 local nonprofit and public organizations to volunteer. These included Southside Community Center, Greater Ithaca Activities Center, Cornell Cooperative Extension, FingerLakes Land Trust and the Sciencenter. Volunteers also went into surrounding areas to provide service to nearby communities.

The DeLoitte Corp. and the Carol Tatkon Center also provided support for the event.